FFL/Gun Law Question

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Senior Member

OK I'll preface by saying I'm a firearms dealer and have a pretty good handle on the laws. I did send you a PM. Take my advice for what it's worth.

A person can ship any firearm to themselves in another state as long as someone in the other state DOESN"T OPEN THE PACKAGE OR TAKE POSSESSION OF THE FIREARM. I'm going to assume thats you would fall under that law. When you open the package you now are in full possession of the firearm regardless of what you're doing with it.

Senior Member

I'm late to this party, but I'll throw in my two cents' anyway.
I haven't done any "legal research" on this, but a quick Google search tells me this:

1-- You don't need an FFL to make gun accessories like holsters.

2-- ATF has some odd views on what is a "transfer" of a firearm. They include loaning one for a short period of time, but they call this a "disposition" of the gun. I don't consider any temporary short-term load a disposition.

For years, ATF did not require gun writers to have an FFL to directly receive new firearms sent to them by gun manufacturers, for the writers to test and write reviews on. Now the BATF does require this; you can't be a non-FFL gun writer and get your guns shipped directly to you anymore. You have to go through an FFL, because this is a "transfer." Even if you're only allowed to have the gun for a couple of weeks while you evaluate it and write-up the story.

3-- If the intent and purpose of the Federal Firearms Act of 1938 , as amended by the Gun Control Act of 1968, was to identify and register businesses that regularly handle, store, ship, and deliver guns as part of their work, then a holster maker who uses real guns to mold holsters would need an FFL.

Here's a page from ATF's site that explains what they consider to be, or not be, an interstate "transfer."

Big spider lover

It was my understanding, of something I heard from a few individuals in the Holster Community, that I can not accept a Firearm from a client in order to use it as a holster mold. I would need to have a FFL license to do so legally. From what I read on the FFL site, it is meant for the manufacture or importing of firearms, which I'm not doing either. I am not purchasing nor selling firearms. Maybe any Gunsmiths could answer this?

I know this post is old, but if you are making holsters you can order blue guns that are identical replicas (including with most common lights and lasers) for around $55 and have them shipped directly to your door. That is probably cheaper than shipping a firearm through an FFL and having to pay transfer fees on both ends. Plus, you can keep the blue gun in case you need it again for a future project.